Dispensing assembly



Dec. 31, 1968 H. o. BUNGER 3,419,191

DISPENSING ASSEMBLY Filed June 8, 1967 /5 Z27 INVENTOR 24 7 f/zlazyflfizagye;

Z3 I BYWZ ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,419,191 DISPENSING ASSEMBLY Hilary D. Bunger, Weston, Conn. (193 Main St., Westport, Conn. 06880) Filed June 8, 1967, Ser. No. 644,702 7 Claims. (Cl. 22293) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An assembly of a tube and a fixed bracket for holding the tube, in which the bracket has two outwardly-extending arms formed with apertures in which the seam end of the tube is rotatably held so that the tube can be moved while held by the bracket between upright and downward positions.

This invention relates generally to an assembly of elements which, in combination, provide a unit for easily dispensing materials from a tube and storing the tube in a convenient place. More particularly, it relates to a combination of a bracket and a tube, whereby materials, normally those of a pasty 0r semi-solid consistency, may be quickly dispensed without waste.

Many materials that flow under pressure, for example, semi-solid shampoos and toothpastes, are contained in tubes. Pressure applied manually to the outer walls of the tube forces the pasty material through the tube aperture and, in the case of shampoos, generally into the hand of the user for application to the hair. In the shower, however, such tubes frequently become slippery and difficult to handle, especially when wet. Because of their shape they are difficult to store and handle, especially when cap is removed. Moreover, when the tube is replaced in or on a receptacle after a quantity of shampoo has been squeezed from the tube, additional quantities of its contents may leak from the tube if the tube is not placed in an upright position or the cap replaced between uses. Undesired dispensing of materials is even more likely to occur if the tube is dropped after the cap of the tube has been removed .and before or after the desired amount of shampoo has been dispensed.

It is, therefore, an important object of the present invention to provide an assembly for dispensing quantities of pasty or semi-solid materials from a tube, in which assembly the tube need not be removed from its receptacle in order for materials to be dispensed therefrom, but can still be handled and squeezed in a conventional manner.

It is another object of my invention to provide such an assembly in which the tube, while in its receptacle, can be moved between a position in which material can be dispensed therefrom and another position in which material will not accidentally be so dispensed.

It is still another object of my invention to provide a simple and economic assembly for holding a tube while its contents are being dispensed, the assembly being suitable for use as a premium or item to be given away in connection with the purchase of some other goods.

As part of my novel assembly, a conventional tube is utilized, such tube having a tube body terminating at one end in a closed seam where the body has been sealed together causing a double thickness which is stiffer than the single wall of the tube, and at the other end in an aperture often closed by a screw cap through which the contents of the tube are dispensible.

The other part of my assembly is a bracket adapted to be attached to a fixed support and formed with outwardly extending, flexible arms that have recesses in their assembled position, the tube is located in the recesses in the bracket arm and held therein by the resilience of the arms. In such position the seam end portions of the tube actually lie within the recesses and are rotatable therein through a substantial are.

In a preferred embodiment of my invention, the bracket has a base portion to which the two flexible arms are attached. This base portion has on one face thereof a coating of pressure sensitive adhesive so that the bracket may be attached to a fixed support, such as the wall of a shower. Further, in its operative position, the tube is free to rotate through an :arc of approximately between a dispensing downward and a non-dispensing upright position.

Another feature of my novel assembly is the provision of means as an integral part of the bracket for holding the removable cap normally used to close the tube aperture While material is being dispensed from the tube. Such means, which advantageously can be formed as an integral part of one of the bracket arms, may consist of a boss having indentations with the interior threads of a screw cap used to close the tube aperture, so that the cap may be screwed onto the boss when not in use. It may also comprise a bracket extending outwardly and then up wardly from one of the arms or the wall plate to form a surface for receiving and retaining the cap.

These and other objects, features [and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing of two preferred embodiments of the structure of this invention, which drawings form a part hereof, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of my novel assembly, in which the tube is shown held by the bracket arms in a downwardly extending position with the cap in place on the tube;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of FIGURE 1, the assembly being shown with the tube in substantially upright position and the cap removed therefrom;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of the bracket of the present assembly; and

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view of the bracket illustrated in FIGURE 3.

According to the present invention, the basic parts of my assembly consist of a bracket, indicated generally by reference numeral 10, and a tube, indicated generally by reference numeral 11. As particularly seen in FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings, the tube consists of a plastic tube body 12 terminating at one end in a seam 13 formed in the conventional manner by means of heat sealing. At its other end, the tube is closed by a rigid duct having exterior threads 14 formed thereon (FIG. 2). The screw threads are normally provided for engagement with interior threads of a cap 15 so that the cap may be screwed in place on the tube. In its general structure, the tube which forms a part of my assembly is identical to that of tubes conventionally in use for holding toothpaste, shampoos and like materials. The bracket 10 of the present assembly as shown in FIGURES l and 2 consists of a base 17, which is substantially flat and has an outer surface 18 provided, for example, with a coating of pressuresensitive adhesive adapted to secure the base 17 and the remainder of the bracket 10 to a fixed support, such as a wall of a shower indicated by reference numeral 19 in FIGURE 2. Referring back to FIGURE 1, the base 17 has formed integral therewith two outwardly extending arms 19 and 20, these arms being formed preferably from a resilient plastic material so that a suflicient amount of play is provided whereby the arms may be flexed toward and away from each other. After such flexure, the arms 19 and 20 tend to return into their original positions as best illustrated in FIGURE 1. At their outwardly extending end portions 21, bracket arms 19 and 20 are provided with recesses 22 in the form of orifices that extend completely through the bracket arms. As best seen in FIG- URE 1, these orifices are circular and of such a size as to hold the end portions of the seam 13 of the tube 11. In the conventional tube of toothpaste or shampoo, that seam has end portions that project beyond the plane of the tube body at the seam end of that body. In FIGURES l and 2 the end portions of the tube seam 13, which end portions extend into and lie within the recesses 22, are identified by reference numeral 23.

An additional feature of the present invention is the provision of means for holding the cap 15 of the tube 11 when that cap has been removed from the screw threads 14, as illustrated in FIGURE 2 of the drawing. Two types of such means are illustrated in the drawing, a so-called basket type of cap-holding means being shown in FIG- URES 1 and 2 and a threaded boss type of holding means being illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4. The basket type of holding means of FIGURES 1 and 2 consists of an additional bracket 25, which is formed with a horizontally extending part 26 and, at the end thereof, an upturned flange 27. Bracket 25 is of arm in the manner shown in FIGURE 1, although, of course, it would function as well if fixed to the outer surface of bracket arm 19. Preferably, bracket is formed integral with the bracket 10. As so positioned, it will be apparent that the upper surface 28 of bracket 25 forms a plane upon which the cap 15 of tube 10 may be located when that cap is not in position on the tube. Upstanding flange 27 provides lateral support for and retains the cap resting on surface 28.

As illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4, a modified bracket 30 may be used, such bracket having a base 31 and outwardly extending arms 32 and 33. Bracket 30 is provided with a boss 34, adhesively joined or formed integral with an outer surface of one of the bracket arms 32 or 33. Boss 34 is formed with indentations 35 of a size sufiicient to mate with the internal screw threads of the tube cap 15. Thus, if a basket type of holder 27 is not desired, the cap 15 may be retained at a convenient location after it has been unscrewed from the tube 11 by screwing that cap onto the boss 34 of modified bracket 30.

Another modification of the present invention is apparent in FIGURES 3 and 4. This modification is found in the fact that, instead of providing recesses in the form of orifices 30 that extend completely through the end portions of each of the bracket arms, the recesses may consist of shallow, dished-out portions indicated by reference numeral 36 in FIGURES 3 and 4. So long as the recesses 36 are deep enough so that the end portions of the seam 13 of tube 11 will not fall therefrom during ordinary use of the tube, these recesses 36 are sufficient and they need not be drilled completely through the bracket arms.

In operation, the brackets 10 or 30 that form a part of the assembly are first afiixed, preferably by a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive coated on the back surface of the bracket base 17, to a fixed support, such as shower wall 19. A tube of shampoo 11, for example, is then located in position between the bracket arms 20 and 21 (FIGURES 1 and 2), such positioning being accompanied by an outward fiexure of the bracket arms. After the end portions 22 of tube 11 have been located within recesses 23, the flexed arms 19 and 20 of bracket 10 are permitted to return to their original position, in which they grasp seam end portions 22 and hold those end portions and the tube 11 between them. As the recesses 23, as well as recesses 36 of the modified assembly in FIG- URES 3 and 4, are substantially unobstructed to rotation of seam end portions 22, those end portions and tube 11 may be rotated within the recesses over an arc of somewhat more than 180, so that the tube 11 can be brought to the position illustrated in FIGURE 2 in which it is substantially upright and resting against fixed support 19, and then rotated until it is in a substantially vertically downward position as illustrated in FIGURE 1 of the drawings.

In conventional use with flowable products, the tube 11 will remain in the position illustrated in FIGURE 2 with the cap 15 in place and covering the screw threads 14 when the tube is not in use. When, however, it is desired to expel materials from within the tube 11, the tube is rotated to a position substantially as illustrated in FIG- URE 1, the cap having been removed before or after such rotation. In the downwardly extending position of FIGURE 1, the tube is squeezed to expel materials, the cap first having been removed and placed either in the basket holder of FIGURES l and 2 or screwed onto the boss 34- of FIGURES 3 and 4. After use, the tube is returned to the upright position of FIGURE 2 and the cap 15 again screwed onto the threads 14. In this manner a tube of shampoo, for example, can easily be utilized to dispense the contents thereof without dropping the tube and wasting a portion of the contents; also, the same means used to permit facile dispensing of the contents of the tube can be used to hold and store the tube when it is not in use.

It will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in this art that certain alterations and modifications can be made in the preferred embodiments illustrated in FIG- URES 1 to 4 of the drawing without departing from the spirit of my invention. All such obvious alterations and modifications are desired to be included within the purview of my invention, which is to be limited only by the scope of the following, appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An assembly for dispensing materials of a pasty or semi-solid consistency from a tube, comprising a tube containing the material to be dispensed and formed with a tube body terminating at one end in an aperture through which the material passes on being dispensed and at the other end in a seam, said seam having outwardly extending end portions of greater rigidity than said tube body, and

a bracket adapted for attachment to a support and formed with a base and arms extending therefrom in substantially the same direction, the distance between said arms at the outwardly extending ends thereof being somewhat less than the width of said tube seam,

said bracket arms at said outwardly extending ends having recesses formed in their inwardly disposed, opposed faces of a size and shape to receive said tube seam end portions,

said tube seam end portions being positioned in said recesses and held therein by said arms, said recesses being unobstructed with respect to said stem end portions to an extent sufiicient to permit rotation of said tube relative to said bracket through a substantial are.

2. An assembly for dispensing materials as claimed in claim 1, in which said seam end portions extend outwardly beyond the plane of said tube body and said bracket arms are capable of resiliently flexing toward and away from each other at their outwardly extending ends, so that said seam end portions are held in said recesses by the resilience of said arms.

'3. An assembly for dispensing materials as claimed in claim 1, in which said tube is rotatable through an arc of about degrees between a non-dispensing position in which said tube aperture extends vertically upward and a dispensing position in which a tube aperture extends vertically downward.

4. An assembly for dispensing materials as claimed in claim 1, further including a pressure-sensitive adhesive backing on said bracket base to secure said bracket to said support.

5. An assembly for dispensing materials as claimed in claim 1, said tube aperture being closed by a removable cap, and means as an integral part of said bracket for holding said cap when said cap is not in aperture closing position.

6. An assembly for dispensing materials as claimed in claim 5, in which said cap has interior threads for retaining it on said tube and said cap holding means is a boss 6 projecting outwardly from one of said arms, said boss 1,757,184 5/1930 Furey 222l05 I having indentations mating with said interior threads of 2,474,080 6/1949 Witte 248108 said cap to permit said cap to be threaded thereon. 3,101,869 8/1963 Baker 222-405 7. An assembly for dispensing materials as claimed in claim 5, in which said cap holding means is a bracket 5 RO REEVES, Primary Examiner extending outwardly and then upwardly from one of said I arms to form a surface for receiving and retaining said HANDREN, Asslstani Examinercap.

References Cited US. Cl. X.R.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 222-105; 248108 1,570,396 1/1926 Pollock 222 10s X 

